I recently had the opportunity to do some temp work for a friend of mine in an office setting. As a freelancer, I’m used to setting my own schedule. I love having the freedom to work for a few hours, take a break to walk the dogs or do something else, and then going back to the keyboard for another few hours.
I’m out of the habit of working an eight hour day!
One thing I noticed was the mid-afternoon slump — an hour or two after lunch, I found myself tired and unfocused. I’ll admit that I went for the quick and easy fix: a cup of coffee. It did the trick and got me back on track for the rest of the day. But I know there are other things you can do to beat the mid-afternoon slump!
- Get some fresh air. Open a window or take a five minute break outside. A little fresh air and natural light can be a quick pick-me-up!
- Drink a glass of soda or a cup of tea or coffee. Caffeine often works when you need a boost, but not always. And if you drink it too late in the day, you may end up having trouble falling to sleep that night!
- Take a mental break. Give yourself five minutes to look at pictures, read a book, listen to music, or surf the web. Thinking about something else for a few minutes may give your brain a jump-start.
- Get up and stretch. Stretching can get the blood flowing and help shake you out of the slump. The stretches you can do may be limited by what you’re wearing to work… but even rotating your wrists and ankles is better than nothing.
- Call a friend (or walk by her desk) and share a funny story. Laughter can be a great natural pick-me-up.
- A healthy snack might be what you need to focus up and keep going.
- Split your lunch break into two. Instead of taking a full hour at noon, take a half hour break at eleven and another at two. Shaking up the routine might be enough to help you break out of the mid-afternoon slump.